


Becoming a Grown-up

by BrieCheddar



Series: KasuKari Oneshots [3]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: A little bit of angst, Confessions, F/F, First Kiss, Hiking, date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28004298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrieCheddar/pseuds/BrieCheddar
Summary: Karin knows she has to give up on Kasumi after she graduates. She just knows. But, will this hiking date with Kasumi change her mind?
Relationships: Asaka Karin/Nakasu Kasumi
Series: KasuKari Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011210
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	Becoming a Grown-up

What were the odds of this happening, Karin Asaka wondered. The odds of attending Nijigasaki High School, and bumping into a transfer student who adored idols, and joining the School Idol Club, and falling in love.

Karin wouldn’t say she was a math expert, but she knew that finding the chance of several events occurring had to do with multiplying their probabilities. She also knew that the product of two small percentages was an even smaller percentage.

The odds had to be minuscule. After all, there were seven billion other fish in the sea, and it had to be _her._

Unfortunately for Karin, Kasumi Nakasu was just a minnow.

Two years might not seem like much of an age difference. However, in high school, a first-year and a third-year can come into each other’s lives as quickly as they can leave. 

Karin didn’t even know whether or not Kasumi loved her back. For the past few months, the two of them had followed the same back-and-forth routine. Karin was content with their tease-offs. She didn’t want to get her hopes up through misunderstandings or project the reasons for her actions onto Kasumi. 

Even if Kasumi felt the same way, she would be stuck in high school for the next two years. She’d meet someone else, someone who could spend more time with her than Karin ever could in their one year together. 

Besides, behind her mask of cool maturity, Karin felt weak and pathetic. According to all the relationship advice she’d read in magazines and online, successful relationships were built on honesty. Karin could pretend to be cool and sexy all she wanted. If Kasumi realized the truth about her… 

Karin rid herself of the thought by shaking her head back and forth. As the train she was riding pulled into the station where they would rendezvous, a new thought entered Karin’s head and lingered as she exited through the sliding doors.

_Kasumi deserved someone better than her._

* * *

When Kasumi spotted Karin at the station, she waved at Karin to come over. In the sea of people that walked through the crowded station, Kasumi could spot Karin in an instant. Kasumi knew it was not only because of Karin’s presence as a model.

Karin saw her after a while, then came over. They exchanged their customary greetings, then Karin looked around.

“No one else came?” Karin asked. This was supposed to be a hike with the rest of the School Idol Club that Kasumi arranged. Then Kasumi explained how everyone else had other plans. Considering that the trail was a couple of hours away from Odaiba by train, it made sense to Karin that the rest of the group could not attend this outing. “So, I guess this is a date. How lucky.”

A couple of months ago, that specific word would have riled Kasumi up. Now, she was ready to retaliate.

“Yes, it is lucky that you can take the cute Kasumin out on a date,” Kasumi said with a smirk as she walked past Karin towards the exit.

“You have it backwards. Not many can say they went on a date with _the_ Karin Asaka,” Karin said as she caught up to Kasumi. 

“You mean I’m the _only_ one that can say that,” Kasumi said, referencing the time she learned that their first “date” was also Karin’s first “date.”

“That’s why you’re lucky.” Kasumi scowled at Karin, then they both smiled and let out a couple of snickers.

_They were fine like this._

With that thought, Karin exited the station with Kasumi. 

As she stepped onto the sidewalk, Karin looked at the map on her phone. Then, she brought her phone up so closely to her face that Kasumi thought Karin could see the individual pixels on her screen.

“It’s this way, Karin-senpai,” Kasumi said as she pointed towards the mountain where they were going to hike on that day. “How can you be this bad with directions? There’s a sign right there.”

“S-Shut it,” Karin responded in frustration. It wasn’t her fault that all the streets looked the same on a map. How was anyone supposed to tell where they were from a jumbled criss-cross of lines?

“Who’s the lucky one, again?” Karin ignored Kasumi’s grin as she walked towards the mountain.

The two of them chatted about the perfect-for-hiking overcast weather, and the trail they were going up, and the supposedly amazing view at the top. The conversation drifted towards idols, and they ended up talking about their final live as a group. It was a few weeks away, right before Karin’s graduation.

“Have you figured out your choreography yet?” Karin asked about Kasumi’s solo song.

“Yeah, I’ve almost got it down. The chorus is kinda tricky, though.”

“If you ever need any pointers, you can always ask me.” Karin learned a lot from the dance lessons she’d been taking on the side. She felt proud to be able to help the other members of the club whenever they had questions. Of course, she did not expect Kasumi to willingly accept this offer.

“Then, can we go over it tomorrow?” Kasumi asked, without any hint of sarcasm.

“Eh?” Despite Karin’s shock, Kasumi’s blank expression didn’t change. “You’re… eager.”

“I want to get better. What’s wrong with that?” Then, as if Kasumi realized that this interaction was almost too honest for the two of them, a smirk creeped up to her lips. “I learned this expression in English class: ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’ That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“‘Enemy’ is a strong word,” Karin retorted. Kasumi closed her eyes and puffed out her chest.

“Ah, as expected of my enemy. Trying to shut me down at every turn. But I always win against-”

Karin interrupted Kasumi’s monologue with a light karate chop to the head. She chuckled at Kasumi’s fake groans of pain.

“We’re rivals, not enemies,” Karin said. Then her thoughts drifted towards the future. “For the next few weeks, anyway.”

Kasumi dropped her hands from the top of her head to her sides. Neither of them looked at each other in the eyes.

“Still giving up the idol life, huh?” Kasumi asked. Out of the corner of her eye, Kasumi saw Karin nod. She remembered when Karin admitted this to her. At that time, Kasumi was furious. Karin practiced so hard, just to leave it all behind after high school. In order to convince Kasumi to accept it, Karin said words that Kasumi still had not forgotten.

_“You have to give up a lot of things when you become a grown-up.”_

Kasumi tucked that memory away and shifted the conversation to the rest of the group and their songs. Kasumi smiled at Karin’s excited chatter about Emma’s progress on her solo, but those words kept returning to Kasumi’s thoughts. She did her best not to show it.

_What awful words._

* * *

The trail up the mountain split into two paths. There was the stair path that led straight to the top, and there was a winding path that snaked through the trees. They stopped there and decided on the path they would take.

“I mean, walking up stairs is good exercise,” Karin said. “The other path isn’t steep.”

“Stairs are boring. Don’t take girls out on boring dates, Karin-senpai,” Kasumi said with a wink. Karin rolled her eyes in response. “They take the same amount of time anyway.” Karin conceded as Kasumi walked ahead of her. It was nice to relax once in a while, Karin told herself.

Karin retracted that statement when Kasumi stopped and pointed towards a dubious narrow path that branched off the main trail. 

“You can’t be serious,” Karin said as she peered up the path that seemed to be paved by a few hikers’ footsteps, in contrast to the smooth trail they were on. “We don’t even know where it goes.”

“We can always turn around,” Kasumi said.

“We really shouldn’t. What if you get hurt?”

“We’ll be fine.” Kasumi watched Karin examine the trail, then shook her head and started walking up. “What’s wrong, Miss Grown-up? Giving up adventure in your life, too?”

It was an obvious provocation, but Karin never backed down from one of Kasumi’s challenges.

“I’ll take the lead,” Karin said as she started walking up the trail.

“With your sense of direction?” Kasumi asked.

“I don’t need to look at a map to follow a trail.” How hard could it be, Karin thought.

Karin was right about being able to follow the path. However, the difficulty of the trail ramped up as they continued moving forward. The steep incline took a toll on their legs. They had to take each step with care, making sure that the foothold they landed on was stable and solid. There were several instances where the dirt under Karin’s feet would slip, and she had to catch herself each time.

Despite their struggles, Kasumi and Karin did not complain about the trail. In fact, they seldom talked. When they did, it was either Karin pointing out where to step or Kasumi calling out when they should take breaks. Whenever they did stop, they would turn around and look back at the green sea of leaves below them. After a few minutes, Karin would ask if Kasumi was ready to go, and Kasumi would ask the same question in return. They would smile at each other then continue their trek.

Later into the hike, almost approaching the time it would take them to reach the top if they followed the regular path, they reached an almost vertical wall of rock. Small ledges jutted out of the wall. Karin looked down at the trail. The footsteps seemed to end there.

“I guess we have to climb it,” Kasumi said. “Don’t even think about going back now.”

“That didn’t even cross my mind.” Karin responded. “The problem is… are you gonna be able to reach that?” She pointed at a vertical gap between two of the ledges that spanned a length longer than two meters.

“Please, I’m not that short.” Karin shrugged at Kasumi’s words, then started climbing. When she reached the gap, she was able to grab onto the ledge and pull herself up. Kasumi followed Karin’s path upwards, then stopped at the ledge below. She reached up, on the tips of her toes, and touched the edge with her fingertips. “Okay, so… maybe I am that short.”

“Uh... maybe you can jump up,” Karin said. Kasumi looked at the ledge she was standing on, making sure there was enough ledge to land back on safely, then leaped upwards. She grasped the ledge and tried to pull herself up. 

Seeing Kasumi struggle, Karin looked at the wall to find a handhold, grabbed onto it, and offered her free hand to Kasumi. Karin helped pull Kasumi up, but the ledge they stood on was barely wide enough to hold two people. They pressed their bodies together so they could fit. 

Karin and Kasumi felt each other's body heat, which was higher than normal due to all the exercise. Some of that heat rose to their faces. Kasumi regained focus and looked up at the trail, and Karin, thinking that Kasumi was staring at her, averted her gaze. 

“Your hand, Karin-senpai.” Karin released Kasumi’s arm in a hurry. Kasumi said she would take the lead, then reached towards the next ledge, bringing her face closer to Karin’s. Karin was glad that Kasumi’s eyes were trained on where she was reaching.

The rest of the wall was not as much of a challenge, and they soon reached the top of it. From there, they looked back at what they had climbed, and high-fived in celebration. The area at the top of that wall connected back to the main trail. They started walking on it.

“That’s enough adventure for today,” Kasumi said with a grin.

“Agreed.” Karin smiled back.

“By the way, you slipped up… one, two… seven times back there,” Kasumi said while counting on her fingers. 

“That’s how you thank me for showing you the path to take?” Karin asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“Yes, thank you for slipping so I didn’t have to.” Karin crossed her arms and turned away from Kasumi. “No, seriously. Thanks.”

Kasumi thanking Karin was a rare occurrence, so Karin decided to make the most of it.

“Well, thanks for making me take breaks. I needed them.”

“I could tell,” Kasumi said. “You have this thing where you keep wiping your forehead when you get tired. Even when there’s not that much sweat.” Karin let out a small smile.

Kasumi’s perception and consideration for others were included in the reasons for why Karin was head over heels with her. Kasumi always knew when people needed something and always knew exactly what they needed. Karin often wished she had that level of tact.

“I’m surprised you didn’t even ask to turn around at the wall,” Kasumi said, interrupting Karin’s thoughts.

“Well, we chose that trail. We should see it through,” Karin responded.

“Finishing what you start, huh? That’s admirable, really.” A compliment from Kasumi was even rarer than her thanks. 

“You’re sweet. It suits you,” Karin said.

“If only you could apply that to learning how to read a map,” Kasumi said as she smirked. 

“And you’re back to being sour.” Karin did not say it, but she could not imagine a Kasumi who was sickeningly sweet all the time. Karin loved the wit that Kasumi possessed, and loved that she would use it often. But Karin would never boost Kasumi’s ego by saying that out loud.

Especially since it involved that word. “Love.”

As the two continued walking together in silence, Karin’s thoughts drifted towards a future where they were together. They’d share an apartment in Tokyo. Karin would come home after a shoot, and Kasumi would be waiting for her with freshly made bread. She imagined competing through their work, and engaging in teasing battles, and laughing together, and holding each other, and kissing.

Karin’s imagination always froze at the kissing part.

It was better not to get her hopes up, Karin thought, She should not focus on a future that could not come true. 

_But… it’s pretty to think about._

“Enjoying our date that much?” Kasumi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“You're grinning, you weirdo. Maybe it’s because of how cute I look in workout clothes.” Kasumi struck a pose she had seen from one of Karin’s magazines. Karin shook her head and thought about lying. She figured that would be too predictable.

“Yes, actually. I’m having tons of fun with the cute Kasumin,” Karin said while staring Kasumi in the eyes. Kasumi averted her gaze in response.

“T-Talk about being sweet.” Karin saw how red Kasumi’s ears were and smiled to herself. “It really, really doesn’t suit you though.”

Then Karin started to laugh. In response, Kasumi hit Karin with weak punches while pouting. Seeing that, Karin brought her hand up and placed it on top of Kasumi’s head. She rubbed back and forth, and Kasumi stopped hitting her.

“I mean it,” Karin said. 

“O-Okay.” Kasumi still did not look her in the eyes. Karin noted how well the truth worked when it came to eliciting a reaction from Kasumi. She told herself to use it again if she got the chance.

* * *

They reached the top quickly after they moved onto the main trail. Trees covered the landscape beneath them. The light grey, cloud-filled sky contrasted with the dark green foliage as they met at the horizon. Karin and Kasumi looked upon the gorgeous scenery as they stood together at the peak of the mountain.

“It’s beautiful,” Kasumi said while looking straight ahead. Karin stole a sideways glance at Kasumi.

Cheesy lines came to Karin’s mind. “Not as beautiful as you,” was way too forward for Karin. She thought of being more subtle, saying, “Yeah, it is,” while looking straight at Kasumi. In the end, she just hummed in agreement. 

This was a perfect opportunity for Karin to hold hands with Kasumi, if they were lovers. She wondered if Kasumi would let her. Karin looked down at Kasumi’s hands and saw they were on her hips, not hanging downwards loosely. She figured it would be too weird to do without a good excuse.

They lingered there for a while, basking in the comfortable silence. Kasumi made the first motion to go back down the trail, and Karin followed. When they arrived at the top of the wall they had climbed, Kasumi pointed towards it with a grin. Karin shut her down with a shake of the head.

After walking for a while, Kasumi craved some water, and called for a break. They spotted a bench and decided to sit there.

“You know, except for that wall, this hike wasn’t too bad,” Kasumi said after handing Karin a water bottle. “You have fun on our _date_ , Karin-senpai?”

“This _date_ has been great, Kasumi-chan,” Karin said, her words dripping in sarcasm.

However, as they continued to sit there, Karin started to think about what she was saying. How was their “date,” Karin thought. It was not very date-like, other than the fact that it was only the two of them together. Karin knew she was the one that brought it up as a joke first, but at the same time, felt conflicted about that single word.

Karin had told herself, over and over, to give up on Kasumi. And now she was getting stuck on a word. “Don’t be stupid,” she said in her head.

But, there was a burning curiosity inside of Karin that could not be snuffed out no matter what she told herself.

“Hey, Kasumi-chan,” Karin said without looking at Kasumi. “Is there anyone… y’know… that you want to go on dates with?”

“What are you talking about? I’m on one with you right now, dummy.” 

“No, I mean real dates.” Kasumi looked at Karin, and saw her serious expression, and the smirk dropped from her face.

“Karin-senpai. I’m an idol,” Kasumi stated.

“Right, so you can’t date anyone.” Karin scratched her head while thinking. “But I’m talking about if there’s someone you _want_ to date.”

“So if I like someone?”

“Sure.” Kasumi thought for a while, carefully and slowly choosing the words to say and the words to leave out.

“Actually, I don’t know if ‘like’ is the word. ‘Admire’ might be better, but it’s because I respect her, y’know? I don’t feel like I’m falling for her or anything.” Then after another long think, Kasumi continued. “But when it comes to ‘wanting’ to date her… _if_ I could then… yeah. I guess I would want to.”

A tornado of thoughts swirled around in Karin’s head. Was it Shizuku? Maybe Yuu? Karin thought of each word that she heard. She ran mental calculations to find who Kasumi respected the most. But, before she could finish, Kasumi spoke again.

“What about you?” Kasumi asked.

For a second Karin’s thoughts froze, then they started up again, racing faster than before. She wondered about how honest she should be and about how much she should say. 

“... There’s someone,” Karin said, trying her best to reveal as little as possible. She saw Kasumi’s eyes widen out of her peripheral vision.

“Ooh! C’mon, tell me,” Kasumi said while sliding closer, bringing her ear up to Karin’s face.

“You didn’t tell me!” Karin said as she turned towards Kasumi. The two of them stared at each other for a brief moment, then Karin averted her gaze. “I mean, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Well, you’re not going to be an idol in a few weeks. You can date anyone after that.” 

“Not ‘anyone.’ Besides, we aren’t gonna see each other that much after, so I don’t think it will happen.”

“Oh, so it’s Emma-senpai or Kanata-senpai,” Kasumi said.

“What? No, it’s not,” Karin said, confused about how Kasumi reached that conclusion.

“I mean Nijigasaki isn’t super far from an apartment in Tokyo, so if you _really_ wanted to meet with someone you could.” Karin thought about that for a bit and concluded that Kasumi was right. “Ooh, so you have a crush on one of your kouhais, huh? Or is it really not someone in our club?”

Karin didn’t answer those questions. Kasumi leaned in and put on her cutesy face.

“Do you have something to tell me, Karin-senpai?” Kasumi asked, trying to hide her anticipation behind her sarcastic tone. Karin’s face was on fire, and Kasumi’s eyes widened when she saw Karin hide her expression by turning her head.

“N-No! It’s not you,” Karin lied without looking back. Kasumi pulled away and stared at Karin while she was not watching. Then after a small sigh to herself, Kasumi perked up and playfully pushed Karin.

“Who could it be, if it’s not Kasumin?” Kasumi asked in a sing-song voice. “Well, it’s fine. But, whoever it is… I hope you don’t give up on them, too.”

Those were the last words Karin wanted to hear. 

But maybe she needed to hear them.

Kasumi watched as Karin sat there in silence, absorbed in thought, then she slid closer to Karin on the bench. Before Karin could react, Kasumi brought up her phone and took a picture of the two of them sitting together.

“W-What was that for?” Karin asked. 

“Commemorating our date, of course. Pfft, you look so funny.” As Kasumi laughed Karin looked closer at the picture. Karin was blankly staring at the camera while Kasumi struck a cute pose. “I have to put this in group chat.”

“No, wait… At least take a good one.” Karin reached for the phone, but Kasumi pulled it away. “Give me that.”

“What? It’s cute.” Kasumi took another look at the picture, focusing on Karin’s expression. A chuckle escaped her lips. After clearing her throat, she spoke again. “Especially me.”

Seeing that, Karin stood up and reached both arms towards Kasumi, who pulled the phone closer to herself. Kasumi played keepaway, turning her body to shield her phone from Karin’s grasp. She extended her arms outward, trying to increase the distance between Karin and her phone. At the same time, Karin sidestepped over and over to find a better angle of attack.

Then, during one of Kasumi’s frantic spins, the phone flew out of her hands, going down the hill of trees. From where they were standing, neither of them could see the phone.

“Crap! My parents are gonna kill me!” After saying that, Kasumi leered at Karin. “What was that for? It’s one stupid photo.”

“S-Sorry. I-”

“Whatever, it’s fine,” Kasumi said to cut off Karin. Then, she looked down the hill. The decline was not too steep, so she took a few steps downwards on the unpaved dirt. Karin followed wordlessly, not wanting to upset Kasumi further. Kasumi looked back at her. “Like, no one’s gonna think you look weird or anything. It was cute. Trust me, I would know.”

Karin decided to focus on the search instead of responding. She knew the best apology she could give was helping Kasumi find it. She pulled out her phone and tried calling Kasumi’s number. They heard the ringtone, but it was further into the forest.

As they drew closer to the sound of Kasumi’s phone, the foliage around them grew thicker and started to block out the light from the sky. Karin turned on her phone flashlight to see better.

They eventually found Kasumi’s phone at the base of a large tree, but the screen was riddled with cracks. Kasumi and Karin decided that Karin would pay for the repairs. After finding it, they looked around and found themselves to be in a breathtaking area.

A dark thicket of leaves surrounded them. Dots and small streaks of light speckled the ground below their feet. Long, wavy roots popped in and out of the dirt. When Kasumi and Karin looked up, they saw the dark covering of leaves and light. The light snuck through the leaves as small flecks in the darkness, almost like the light from distant stars in the night sky.

“Oh, wow,” Kasumi said. “This is pretty.”

“Yeah.” Karin glanced over at Kasumi, who was walking around while looking upwards. “Be careful!” Karin shouted as Kasumi lost her balance on the roots covering the ground. Karin rushed forward and wrapped one arm around Kasumi’s back while placing her other hand on a nearby tree trunk to stabilize herself.

Karin pulled Kasumi in so that it was easier to balance, but she quickly noticed Kasumi’s closeness. Their faces were right next to each other, and Karin could feel Kasumi’s hot breaths on her lips. A different heat spread to Karin’s cheeks, and for once she was glad that it was dark underneath all of the trees.

The two of them stayed in that awkward position for an endless moment, hidden from the outside world underneath the planetarium-like enclosure of foliage. They stared at each other, and though their vision was impaired, they were keenly aware of the position they were in.

The branches of the trees rustled against each other as a breeze blew by. The sudden sound brought Kasumi and Karin back to reality. In a hurry, they turned their heads away from each other.

“K-Karin-senpai, I’m okay now,” Kasumi said.

“Y-Yeah… sorry about that.” Kasumi and Karin stood up straight and backed away a bit, but Karin’s hand lingered on Kasumi’s lower back. They stood there in complete silence. Kasumi was okay now, so Karin could let go. Then they could walk back down, and conclude their date, and go their separate ways.

But Karin didn’t want to let go. No, if this date and Kasumi’s words meant anything… Karin shouldn’t give up on Kasumi. Even if it meant getting rejected, Karin should at least try. 

That’s when she decided to be honest.

“Your hand, Karin-sen-”

Karin cut Kasumi off by pulling her in closer and hugging her. Kasumi’s shock kept her frozen.

“Kasumi-chan… I lied,” Karin said.

“W-What? Lied about what? Having fun?” Kasumi tried to deflect the topic, not wanting to get her hopes up because of Karin’s indirect rejection from earlier. Karin shook her head then separated slightly from Kasumi, still holding her in her arms.

“No.” Karin swallowed her fears and feelings of regret. “It… it _is_ you.” Kasumi said nothing, blankly staring at Karin as she waited for an explanation. “I like you. I’ve liked you for a while now.”

Kasumi did not know how to respond, so she said the first thing on her mind.

“You can’t be serious.” Karin’s heart sank in her chest. Then Kasumi continued. “You’re telling me this now.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Sorry… I shouldn’t have said anything,” Karin said as she removed her arm from Kasumi’s back and started to retreat. “I’m an idiot.”

Then, before Karin could pull away fully, Kasumi grabbed her hands. She fondled them and pulled Karin back towards her.

“No. We’re both idiots,” Kasumi said with a half-smile and upturned eyebrows. Karin forgot to breathe as she waited for Kasumi’s next words. “I was thinking of you. When we were talking about dating.” 

“Really?” Then Karin’s excitement died down when she remembered their previous conversation. “Wait. You’re an idol.” 

“We can hide it.” Then Kasumi put on a wide grin and wrapped her arms around Karin. “We’re friends who go on ‘dates.’”

“And you’re fine with me? Even if I can’t come over often?”

“I just confessed, didn’t I? Besides, I can visit you, too.” Karin smiled at that answer and drew closer.

“T-then, could I…” Karin trailed off as she brought her face up to Kasumi’s.

“Mm.” Kasumi closed her eyes and leaned in, and Karin followed suit.

The first kiss they shared was quick and chaste. So was the second, and the third. That was enough for them in that moment, those small bursts of electricity they felt from briefly touching their lips together. When Karin went in for the fourth, Kasumi placed her hand between their lips and told Karin to save it for later. They held each other for a moment longer, then separated.

As they started to walk up the trail paved by their own footsteps, Kasumi extended her hand towards Karin. Deciding to play dumb, Karin tilted her head to question Kasumi.

“Y-Your hand, Karin-senpai,” Kasumi said. Hearing what she wanted to hear, Karin grabbed onto Kasumi’s hand and interlocked their fingers.

They walked in silence through the darkness, reveling in each other’s company. When they saw the bench on the main trail, Kasumi stopped and turned to Karin.

“This turned into a real date after all,” Kasumi said with a grin. Karin smiled back.

“I guess we were both lucky that no one else could come.” After hearing that, Kasumi blushed and turned away.

“A-Actually… that was my fault.” Karin gave her a questioning look. “Well… when I said I invited everyone separately… that was a lie.” Seeing Kasumi so flustered, Karin burst out in laughter. After her laughing fit subsided, she smirked at Kasumi.

“You wanted to go on a date with me that badly?” Karin asked.

“Well it worked, didn’t it?”

“I guess you’re right.” Karin and Kasumi grinned at each other. “Hey… do you want to come here again?”

“Sure,” Kasumi responded while squeezing Karin’s hand.

After the two of them reached the main trail and started their descent, a spring breeze rushed by, blowing through Karin’s hair. Karin’s thoughts began to wander once more.

Their relationship would be far from normal. A model and a school idol, both busy with their careers, hiding their feelings from the world. It would be tough on both of them, Karin thought.

But, as she remembered everything that happened on that mountain, as she thought of the words they had spoken to each other, and as she looked at Kasumi at her side, another thought prevailed over all of her worries.

_I’m sure we can make it work… as long as we have each other._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading as always. This idea started from me going on a hike (with a mask) and thinking, "What about KasuKari... on a hike!" And then it turned into a 5000 word fic... So yeah, a lot more went into it then I thought would. Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> ON ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE!  
>   
> I'm sorry, but WHAT THE FK? WHERE IS KASUKARI????  
> Please AO3. Please.


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